Building the Weather-Ready Nation Ambassador Initiative in U.S. Territories (316)

Marcus Landon Aydlett, NOAA/NWS, Barrigada, Guam

Elinor Lutu-McMoore, NOAA/NWS

Jane Taifane, NOAA/NWS

William Brandon Aydlett, NOAA/NWS

Chip Guard, NOAA/NWS

 

Abstract:

In November of 2016, all of the offices in Pacific Region were encouraged to embrace the Weather-Ready Nation (WRN) Ambassador initiative and begin a focused recruiting push throughout the region. At that time, there were only 15 WRN Ambassadors between WFO Guam, WFO Honolulu, and WSO Pago Pago, American Samoa. WFO Guam and WSO Pago Pago particularly embraced this push in their island communities and quickly began reaching out to their partners to get them aboard. Through this push, Pacific Region eclipsed the 200 WRN Ambassador mark by February of 2018. WFO Guam recruited over 150 WRN Ambassadors, the third most of any National Weather Service office. Personalized recruiting efforts, seasonal weather hazards newsletters and other tangibles were key in recruiting community organizations. This presentation will cover how the WRN program can be adapted to unique, less traditional areas, such as Pacific Region, and the steps that were taken to make this a successful recruiting campaign.